An organisation affiliated to the  Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) wants to “sanitise” NCERT Hindi textbooks of Urdu and Persian words, verses of legendary Urdu poet Mirza Ghalib reported DNA on July 8. Two weeks later, on July 24, The Indian Express published a report – Dina Nath Batra again: He wants Tagore, Urdu words off school texts. Shiksha Sanskriti Utthan Nyas (SSUN), founded by controversial RSS ideologue Batra, had sent suggestions to the NCERT asking to edit Political Science, History and Hindi textbooks. The Express had published key suggestions sent by the Nyas. The controversy snowballed, and Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar was forced to clarify in Parliament, on Tuesday, that the government is not planning to remove Tagore from school textbooks.

In conversation with Newslaundry, Nyas national secretary Atul Kothari claimed the Express had misreported his statements. “We don’t have any problem with Urdu,” said Kothari. He objected to reports terming the Nyas a wing of the RSS. But when asked if the Nyas had any financial or ideological links with the RSS, Kothari dodged the questions with aplomb.

The Nyas wants history textbooks which “glorifies invaders” of India, to be heavily re-written. Hear Kothari speak on whether he has an objection to Mirza Ghalib, why only Hindi words should be used in Hindi textbooks, and why students shouldn’t be taught about riots in recent history and more. 

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